JP2016168705A - Waste ink absorber, waste ink tank, liquid ejection device, and method of manufacturing waste ink absorber - Google Patents

Abstract

A waste ink absorber having excellent permeability is provided. A waste ink absorber that absorbs waste ink discharged from a head that ejects ink, and includes a plurality of absorbers having portions made lyophilic by ozone treatment or plasma treatment. The lyophilic portion is laminated so as to be in contact with another absorbent material. [Selection] Figure 1

Description

  The present invention relates to a waste ink absorber, a waste ink tank, a liquid ejection device, and a method for manufacturing a waste ink absorber.

  2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, a liquid recovery container having a liquid absorbent material, a suction action portion that applies a suction force to the inside of the liquid absorbent material, and a pressurization action portion that applies a pressure to the inside of the liquid absorbent material is known. (For example, refer to Patent Document 1). The suction action section and the pressurization action section are connected to suction means (decompression pump and decompression tube) and pressurization means (pressurization pump and pressurization tube), respectively. It is configured to diffuse into the liquid absorbent.

JP 2012-86551 A

  However, the liquid recovery container requires a suction action part and a pressurization action part, and there is a problem that the structure becomes large.

  SUMMARY An advantage of some aspects of the invention is to solve at least a part of the problems described above, and the invention can be implemented as the following forms or application examples.

  Application Example 1 A waste ink absorber according to this application example is a waste ink absorber that absorbs waste ink discharged from a head that ejects ink, and a portion made lyophilic by ozone treatment or plasma treatment. A plurality of absorbent materials are provided, and the lyophilic portion of one absorbent material is laminated so as to be in contact with another absorbent material.

  According to this configuration, a waste ink absorber in which a plurality of ozone-treated or plasma-treated absorbers are stacked is configured. Since the lyophilic portion exists inside the waste ink absorber, the waste ink can be efficiently permeated into the waste ink absorber.

  Application Example 2 In the waste ink absorber according to the application example described above, a recess for receiving the waste ink is formed in a part of the side surface, and the recess is lyophilic by ozone treatment or plasma treatment. To do.

  According to this configuration, since the waste ink is received in the recesses subjected to the ozone treatment or the plasma treatment, the waste ink can be efficiently introduced into the waste ink absorber.

  [Application Example 3] A waste ink tank according to this application example includes a plurality of absorbents having portions made lyophilic by ozone treatment or plasma treatment, and the lyophilic portion of one absorbent is made up of another absorption. A waste ink absorber stacked so as to be in contact with the material, and a storage portion for storing the waste ink absorber are provided.

  According to this configuration, by storing the waste ink absorber in which the lyophilic portion is present, for example, the waste ink is absorbed without depositing the waste ink on the surface of the absorbent material, and the waste is highly reliable. An ink tank can be provided.

  Application Example 4 A liquid ejection apparatus according to this application example includes a head for ejecting ink and a plurality of absorbent materials having a portion made lyophilic by ozone treatment or plasma treatment, and the one absorbent material is made lyophilic. And a waste ink tank having a waste ink absorber stacked so as to be in contact with another absorber and a storage portion for storing the waste ink absorber.

  According to this configuration, the waste ink discharged from the head is absorbed by the waste ink absorber accommodated in the waste ink tank. The waste ink absorber is lyophilic by ozone treatment or plasma treatment, and has excellent waste ink permeability. Further, the suction unit and the pressurizing unit are unnecessary, and the liquid discharge device can be miniaturized.

  Application Example 5 A method of manufacturing a waste ink absorber according to this application example is a method of manufacturing a waste ink absorber that absorbs waste ink discharged from a head that ejects ink, and includes ozone treatment or plasma treatment. A plurality of absorbent materials having a lyophilic portion are formed, and the absorbent material is laminated so that the lyophilic portion of one absorbent material is in contact with another absorbent material.

  According to this configuration, a waste ink absorber in which a plurality of ozone-treated or plasma-treated absorbers are stacked is configured. Since the lyophilic portion exists inside the waste ink absorber, the waste ink can be efficiently permeated into the waste ink absorber.

  Application Example 6 In the method for manufacturing a waste ink absorber according to the application example, a concave portion that receives the waste ink is formed in a part of a side surface, and the concave portion is subjected to a lyophilic process by ozone treatment or plasma treatment. And

  According to this configuration, since the waste ink is received in the recesses subjected to the ozone treatment or the plasma treatment, it is possible to efficiently introduce the waste ink toward the waste ink absorber.

Schematic which shows the structure of the waste ink absorber concerning 1st Embodiment. FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view illustrating a configuration of a waste ink tank according to the first embodiment. FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram illustrating a configuration of a liquid ejection apparatus according to the first embodiment. Schematic which shows the structure of the waste ink absorber concerning 2nd Embodiment. Sectional drawing which shows the structure of the waste ink tank concerning 2nd Embodiment.

(First embodiment)
Hereinafter, first and second embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. In the following drawings, the scale of each member or the like is shown differently from the actual scale so as to make each member or the like recognizable.

  First, the configuration of the waste ink absorber will be described. FIG. 1 shows a configuration of a waste ink absorber, FIG. 1 (a) is a perspective view of the waste ink absorber, and FIG. 1 (b) is a perspective view of each absorber constituting the waste ink absorber. FIG. The waste ink absorber is a waste ink absorber that absorbs waste ink discharged from a head that ejects ink, and includes a plurality of absorbers having portions made lyophilic by ozone treatment or plasma treatment. The lyophilic portion of the material is laminated so as to be in contact with another absorbent material. This will be specifically described below.

  As shown in FIG. 1A, the waste ink absorber 10 is composed of a plurality of absorbers 11. In the present embodiment, four absorbent materials 11 (11a to 11d) are laminated to form a substantially rectangular parallelepiped shape. Further, a recess 15 is formed in a part of one side surface of the waste ink absorber 10. The concave portion 15 is a portion that receives waste ink. Further, the recess 15 of the present embodiment is lyophilic by ozone treatment or plasma treatment.

  As shown in FIG. 1B, the absorbent material 11 (11a to 11d) constituting the waste ink absorber 10 has a rectangular parallelepiped shape and is a mixture containing cellulose fibers, a molten resin, and a flame retardant.

  Cellulose fibers are defibrated pulp sheets, for example, using a dry defibrator such as a rotary crusher. The molten resin helps bond the cellulose fibers, keeps the absorbent material 11 moderately strong (hardness, etc.), prevents paper dust and fibers from scattering, and contributes to maintaining the shape when absorbing waste ink. It is something to do. Various forms, such as fibrous form and powder form, are employable as molten resin. And by heating the mixture which mixed the cellulose fiber and molten resin, a molten resin can be fuse | melted and it can be made to fuse | fuse and solidify to a cellulose fiber. It is desirable to fuse the cellulose fibers and the like at a temperature that does not cause thermal degradation. In addition, the molten resin is preferably in the form of fibers that are easily entangled with the paper fibers in the defibrated material. Furthermore, a core-sheath composite fiber is desirable. The core-sheath-structured molten resin can be firmly bonded by melting the surrounding sheath at a low temperature and bonding the fibrous core to the molten resin itself or cellulose fibers.

  The flame retardant is added to impart flame retardancy to the absorbent material 11 (waste ink absorber 10). As the flame retardant, for example, an inorganic material such as aluminum hydroxide or magnesium hydroxide, or a phosphorus organic material (for example, an aromatic phosphate such as triphenyl phosphate) can be used.

  Next, a method for manufacturing a waste ink absorber will be described. First, the absorber 11 (11a-11d) which comprises the waste ink absorber 10 is formed. Specifically, the absorbent 11 (11a to 11d) is obtained by, for example, passing a mixture of cellulose fibers, molten resin, and a flame retardant through a sieve and depositing the mixture on a mesh belt disposed below the sieve. Form. The formed deposit is subjected to pressure heat treatment. As a result, the molten resin is dissolved and formed to have a desired thickness t (for example, about 3 mm to 15 mm). Further, by cutting the die to a desired dimension, in this embodiment, the rectangular parallelepiped absorbent material 11 (11a to 11d) having substantially the same outer dimension is formed. In addition, about the absorber 11b and the absorber 11c of this embodiment, the recessed part 16 is formed by parting in one side surface.

  Subsequently, it superimposes so that the widest surface may be contacted among the surfaces of each formed absorber 11 (11a-11d). In the present embodiment, the absorbent 11b and the absorbent 11c having the recess 16 are disposed between the absorbent 11a and the absorbent 11d. Thereby, a recess 15 corresponding to the recess 16 is formed in a part of one side surface of the waste ink absorber 10.

  In this embodiment, the ozone treatment is performed in the form of a waste ink absorber 10 in which four absorbent materials 11 (11a to 11d) are stacked. Specifically, ozone generated by the ozone generator is sprayed toward the recess 15. Thereby, the recess 15 is subjected to a lyophilic process. Further, ozone penetrates into the waste ink absorber 10 from the recess 15. As a result, the absorbent materials 11a to 11d are lyophilic, and the waste ink absorber 10 is formed so that the lyophilic portion of one absorbent material 11 and the other absorbent material 11 are in contact with each other. In addition, in order to accelerate | stimulate hydrophilization, you may process by what mixed ozone gas with the heated water vapor | steam, and may perform ozone treatment, heating the waste ink absorber 10. FIG.

  Next, the configuration of the waste ink tank will be described. The waste ink tank is provided with a plurality of absorbers having a portion made lyophilic by ozone treatment or plasma treatment, and the waste ink layered so that the lyophilic portion of one absorbent material is in contact with another absorbent material An absorber and an accommodating portion for accommodating a waste ink absorber are provided. FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view showing the configuration of the waste ink tank.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the waste ink tank 20 includes a waste ink absorber 10 in which absorbent materials 11 (11 a to 11 d) that absorb waste ink are stacked, and a storage portion 21 that stores the waste ink absorber 10. I have.

  A concave portion 15 is formed on one side surface of the waste ink absorber 10, and the concave portion 15 is subjected to lyophilic treatment by, for example, ozone treatment. Furthermore, the inside of the waste ink absorber 10 is also made lyophilic by ozone treatment.

  The accommodating part 21 accommodates the waste ink absorber 10, and is formed in a rectangular shape with a plastic material, for example. The accommodating portion 21 includes a bottom surface portion 21a, a top surface portion 21b that faces the bottom surface portion 21a, and a side surface portion 21c that joins the bottom surface portion 21a and the top surface portion 21b, and can accommodate and hold the waste ink absorber 10. Is formed.

  Note that an opening 22 is provided in a part of the side surface portion 21 c of the storage portion 21 corresponding to the recess 15 formed in the waste ink absorber 10. A discharge tube 122 for discharging waste ink into the waste ink tank 20 from the outside of the waste ink tank 20 is inserted through the opening 22. The discharge tube 122 is inserted so that the end 122 a of the discharge tube 122 is positioned in the recess 15 of the waste ink absorber 10.

  As a result, the waste ink is discharged from the end 122 a of the discharge tube 122 toward the recess 15 of the waste ink absorber 10. Since the recess 15 is subjected to ozone treatment and is made lyophilic, the waste ink permeates from the recess 15. Further, since the inside of the waste ink absorber 10 is also ozone-treated from the recess 15, the waste ink permeates from the recess 15 toward the inside of the waste ink absorber 10.

  Next, the configuration of the liquid ejection device will be described. The liquid ejecting apparatus includes a head for ejecting ink and a plurality of absorbers having a portion lyophilic by ozone treatment or plasma treatment, and the lyophilic portion of one absorber is in contact with another absorber. And a waste ink tank having a waste ink absorber and a storage portion for storing the waste ink absorber.

  FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram illustrating the configuration of the liquid ejection apparatus. As shown in FIG. 3, the liquid ejection device 100 includes a carriage 200 that forms ink dots on a printing medium M such as printing paper while reciprocating in the main scanning direction, a drive mechanism 300 that reciprocates the carriage 200, A platen roller 400 for feeding the printing medium M and a maintenance mechanism 1000 for performing maintenance so that printing can be normally performed are configured. In the carriage 200, an ink cartridge 260 containing ink, a carriage case 220 in which the ink cartridge 260 is mounted, and a head 240 that ejects ink mounted on the bottom surface side (side facing the print medium M) of the carriage case 220. Etc. are provided. The head 240 is formed with a plurality of nozzles for ejecting ink. The ink in the ink cartridge 260 is guided to the head 240, and the ink is ejected from the nozzles to the print medium M by an accurate amount, whereby an image is formed. It is supposed to be printed.

  The drive mechanism 300 for reciprocating the carriage 200 includes a guide rail 380 extending in the main scanning direction, a timing belt 320 having a plurality of teeth formed therein, a drive pulley 340 that meshes with the teeth of the timing belt 320, A step motor 360 for driving the drive pulley 340 is configured. A part of the timing belt 320 is fixed to the carriage case 220, and the carriage case 220 can be moved along the guide rail 380 by driving the timing belt 320. Further, since the timing belt 320 and the driving pulley 340 are engaged with each other by a tooth shape, when the driving pulley 340 is driven by the step motor 360, the carriage case 220 can be accurately moved according to the driving amount. .

  The platen roller 400 that feeds the printing medium M is driven by a drive motor or a gear mechanism (not shown), and can feed the printing medium M by a predetermined amount in the sub-scanning direction.

  The maintenance mechanism 1000 is provided in a region called a home position outside the printing region, and the wiper blade 1100 for wiping the surface (nozzle surface) on which the ejection nozzle is formed on the bottom surface side of the head 240 or the head 240. A cap unit 1200 that is pressed against the nozzle surface and caps the head 240, and a suction pump unit 1500 that discharges ink as waste ink by driving the head 240 with the cap 240 capped. The suction pump unit 1500 includes a discharge tube 122 and can discharge waste ink toward a waste ink tank 20 disposed below the suction pump unit 1500. By forcibly discharging the ink from the head 240, it is possible to recover a nozzle that has become unable to be ejected due to the effect of thickening, meniscus destruction, paper dust, etc., or to prevent the ink in the nozzle from thickening. . The waste ink tank 20 has the same configuration as that described with reference to FIG.

  The ink applied in the present embodiment is not particularly limited. For example, general water-based ink, oil-based ink, pigment ink, dye ink, solvent-based ink, resin-based ink, sublimation transfer ink, gel ink, hot ink Any liquid composition such as melt ink and ultraviolet curable ink may be used. Further, the ink may be any material that can be ejected by the head 240. For example, it may be in a state in which the substance is in a liquid phase, such as liquid crystals, liquids with high or low viscosity, sols, gel water, other inorganic solvents, organic solvents, solutions, liquid resins, liquid metals (metals In addition to fluids such as melts) and liquids as a state of matter, functional material particles such as pigments and metal particles dissolved, dispersed or mixed in a solvent, etching liquid Including lubricating oil.

  In addition to the ink jet printer, as the liquid ejection device, for example, a liquid crystal display, an EL (electroluminescence) display, a surface emitting display, a material such as an electrode material or a color material used for manufacturing a color filter is dispersed or dissolved. It may be a device for ejecting ink contained in a form, a device for ejecting bioorganic materials used in biochip manufacturing, a device for ejecting ink as a sample used as a precision pipette, a textile printing device, a microdispenser, or the like. Furthermore, a device that injects lubricating oil pinpoint to precision machines such as watches and cameras, a device that forms micro hemispherical lenses (optical lenses) used in optical communication elements, etc. You may employ | adopt the apparatus which injects etching liquid, such as an apparatus to harden | cure, a board | substrate, etc., acid or alkali. The present invention can be applied to any one of these liquid ejection devices.

  As described above, according to the present embodiment, the following effects can be obtained.

  (1) The waste ink absorber 10 is configured by laminating a plurality of absorbers 11 (11a to 11d). A recess 15 is provided on one side surface of the waste ink absorber 10, and ozone treatment is performed from the recess 15 and the recess 15 to the inside of the waste ink absorber 10. Thereby, waste ink can be efficiently penetrated from the recess 15 of the waste ink absorber 10 to the inside.

  (2) In the waste ink tank 20 including the waste ink absorber 10, the waste ink can penetrate into the waste ink tank 20 without depositing the waste ink on the surface of the waste ink absorber 10.

  (3) In the liquid ejection apparatus 100 including the waste ink tank 20, the waste ink discharged from the head 240 can be efficiently absorbed. In addition, since the suction unit and the pressurizing unit are unnecessary, the liquid ejecting apparatus 100 can be reduced in size.

(Second Embodiment)
Next, a second embodiment will be described.

  First, the configuration of the waste ink absorber will be described. FIG. 4 shows the configuration of the waste ink absorber, FIG. 4 (a) is a perspective view of the waste ink absorber, and FIG. 4 (b) is a perspective view of each absorber constituting the waste ink absorber. FIG. The waste ink absorber is a waste ink absorber that absorbs waste ink discharged from a head that ejects ink, and includes a plurality of absorbers having portions made lyophilic by ozone treatment or plasma treatment. The lyophilic portion of the material is laminated so as to be in contact with another absorbent material. This will be specifically described below.

  As shown in FIG. 4A, the waste ink absorber 10a is composed of a plurality of absorbers 11. In the present embodiment, eight absorbent materials 11 are laminated to form a substantially rectangular parallelepiped shape.

  As shown in FIG. 4B, the absorbent material 11 constituting the waste ink absorber 10a has a rectangular parallelepiped shape and is a mixture containing cellulose fibers, a molten resin, and a flame retardant.

  Cellulose fibers are defibrated pulp sheets, for example, using a dry defibrator such as a rotary crusher. The molten resin helps bond the cellulose fibers, keeps the absorbent material 11 moderately strong (hardness, etc.), prevents paper dust and fibers from scattering, and contributes to maintaining the shape when absorbing waste ink. It is something to do. Various forms, such as fibrous form and powder form, are employable as molten resin. And by heating the mixture which mixed the cellulose fiber and molten resin, a molten resin can be fuse | melted and it can be made to fuse | fuse and solidify to a cellulose fiber. It is desirable to fuse the cellulose fibers and the like at a temperature that does not cause thermal degradation. In addition, the molten resin is preferably in the form of fibers that are easily entangled with the paper fibers in the defibrated material. Furthermore, a core-sheath composite fiber is desirable. The core-sheath-structured molten resin can be firmly bonded by melting the surrounding sheath at a low temperature and bonding the fibrous core to the molten resin itself or cellulose fibers.

  The flame retardant is added to impart flame retardancy to the absorbent 11 (waste ink absorber 10a). As the flame retardant, for example, an inorganic material such as aluminum hydroxide or magnesium hydroxide, or a phosphorus organic material (for example, an aromatic phosphate such as triphenyl phosphate) can be used.

  Next, a method for manufacturing a waste ink absorber will be described. First, the absorbent material 11 constituting the waste ink absorber 10a is formed. Specifically, the absorbent material 11 forms a deposit by, for example, passing a mixture of cellulose fibers, molten resin, and a flame retardant through a sieve and depositing it on a mesh belt disposed below the sieve. The formed deposit is subjected to pressure heat treatment. As a result, the molten resin is dissolved and formed to have a desired thickness t (for example, about 3 mm to 15 mm). Further, by cutting the die into a desired dimension, in this embodiment, the rectangular parallelepiped absorbent material 11 having substantially the same outer dimension is formed.

  Next, a plasma treatment is performed on each of the formed absorbers 11. Specifically, the absorbing material 11 is accommodated in the chamber of the vacuum plasma apparatus, and the vacuum plasma apparatus is driven. Oxygen is used as the gas species supplied to the vacuum plasma apparatus, and oxygen plasma treatment is performed on the absorber 11. Thereby, the whole absorbent material 11 is lyophilic. In order to promote hydrophilicity, plasma treatment may be performed while heating.

  Subsequently, it superimposes so that the widest surfaces may be contacted among the surfaces of the absorber 11 processed with plasma. Thereby, the waste ink absorber 10a laminated so that the lyophilic portions of the absorbent 11 are in contact with each other is formed.

  Next, the configuration of the waste ink tank will be described. The waste ink tank is provided with a plurality of absorbers having a portion made lyophilic by ozone treatment or plasma treatment, and the waste ink layered so that the lyophilic portion of one absorbent material is in contact with another absorbent material An absorber and an accommodating portion for accommodating a waste ink absorber are provided. FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view showing the configuration of the waste ink tank.

  As shown in FIG. 5, the waste ink tank 20a includes a waste ink absorber 10a in which a plurality of absorbers 11 that absorb waste ink are stacked, and a storage unit 23 that stores the waste ink absorber 10a. . Each absorber 11 of the waste ink absorber 10a is subjected to a lyophilic process, for example, by a plasma process. Further, the inside of the waste ink absorber 10a is also made lyophilic by plasma treatment.

  The accommodating part 23 accommodates the waste ink absorber 10a, and is formed in a rectangular shape by a plastic material, for example. The accommodating portion 23 includes a bottom surface portion 23a and a side surface portion 23b, and is configured to accommodate and hold the waste ink absorber 10a. An opening 23c is provided in a direction facing the bottom surface 23a. An end 122a of the discharge tube 122 for discharging the waste ink from the outside of the waste ink tank 20a into the waste ink tank 20a is located in the opening 23c.

  As a result, waste ink is discharged from the end 122a of the discharge tube 122 toward the absorbent material 11. Since the absorbent material 11 has been subjected to plasma treatment and is made lyophilic, the waste ink penetrates from the surface of the absorbent material 11 toward the inside. Further, since each absorber 11 is plasma-treated, the waste ink efficiently penetrates from the absorber 11 that receives the waste ink to the other absorbers 11.

  Next, the configuration of the liquid ejection device will be described. The liquid ejecting apparatus includes a head for ejecting ink and a plurality of absorbers having a portion lyophilic by ozone treatment or plasma treatment, and the lyophilic portion of one absorber is in contact with another absorber. And a waste ink tank having a waste ink absorber and a storage portion for storing the waste ink absorber. Since the basic configuration of the liquid ejection device is the same as that of the first embodiment, description thereof is omitted (see FIG. 3).

  As described above, according to the present embodiment, in addition to the effects of the first embodiment, the following effects can be obtained.

  The waste ink absorber 10a is configured by stacking a plurality of absorbers 11 obtained by subjecting each absorber 11 to plasma treatment. Thereby, waste ink can be efficiently permeated from the surface to the inside of the waste ink absorber 10a from any location.

  Note that the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and various modifications and improvements can be added to the above-described embodiment. A modification will be described below.

  (Modification 1) In the first embodiment, the ozone treatment is performed in the form of the waste ink absorber 10 in which the four absorbents 11 (11a to 11d) are laminated, but the present invention is not limited to this. For example, the waste ink absorber 10 may be formed by performing ozone treatment on each absorber 11 (11a to 11d) and laminating each absorber 11 (11a to 11d) that has been subjected to ozone treatment. Further, the waste ink absorber 10 may be formed by performing a plasma treatment on each absorber 11 (11a to 11d) and laminating each absorber 11 (11a to 11d) subjected to the plasma treatment. Even if it does in this way, the effect similar to the said effect can be acquired.

  (Modification 2) In the second embodiment, the plasma treatment is applied to the entirety of each absorber 11, but the present invention is not limited to this. For example, the form which performs a plasma process only to one surface (one of the widest surfaces) of the absorber 11 may be sufficient. In this case, the waste ink absorber 10a is formed by laminating a plurality of absorbers 11 so that the plasma-treated surface comes into contact with the other absorbers 11. Even in this case, the waste ink can be absorbed because one surface of the surfaces where the absorbers 11 are in contact with each other is a plasma-treated surface.

  (Modification 3) In the first and second embodiments, the absorbent material 11 is a rectangular parallelepiped. However, the present invention is not limited to this. For example, the shape which has a circular arc part and an inclination part may be sufficient. Even if it does in this way, the effect similar to the said effect can be acquired.

  (Modification 4) In the first and second embodiments, the case where the waste ink absorbers 10 and 10a absorb the waste ink discharged from the cap unit 1200 by the suction pump unit 1500 has been described. However, the present invention is not limited to this. . The discharged waste ink reaches the printing medium M, such as ink by flushing that ejects ink from all nozzles of the head 240 for the purpose of preventing thickening, and ink that has been removed from the printing medium M in so-called borderless printing. Ink not included is also included. Therefore, the waste ink absorbers 10 and 10a may be configured to absorb these inks (waste ink). Even in this case, the waste ink can be absorbed efficiently.

  DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10, 10a ... Waste ink absorber 11, 11, 11a, 11b, 11c, 11d ... Absorber, 15 ... Recessed part, 20, 20a ... Waste ink tank, 21, 23 ... Storage part, 100 ... Liquid discharge apparatus.

Claims (6)

A waste ink absorber that absorbs waste ink discharged from a head that ejects ink;
Provided with a plurality of absorbents having a portion lyophilic by ozone treatment or plasma treatment,
A waste ink absorber, wherein the lyophilic portion of one absorbent material is laminated so as to be in contact with another absorbent material. The waste ink absorber according to claim 1,
A waste ink absorber, wherein a concave portion for receiving the waste ink is formed in a part of a side surface, and the concave portion is subjected to lyophilic treatment by ozone treatment or plasma treatment. A waste ink absorber comprising a plurality of absorbers having a portion lyophilic by ozone treatment or plasma treatment, wherein the lyophilic portion of one absorber is laminated so as to be in contact with another absorber;
A waste ink tank comprising: a housing portion that houses the waste ink absorber. A head for ejecting ink;
A waste ink absorber comprising a plurality of absorbers having a portion lyophilic by ozone treatment or plasma treatment, wherein the lyophilic portion of one absorber is laminated so as to contact another absorber; and A liquid discharge apparatus comprising: a waste ink tank having a storage portion for storing a waste ink absorber. A method for producing a waste ink absorber that absorbs waste ink discharged from a head that ejects ink, comprising:
Forming a plurality of absorbents having a portion made lyophilic by ozone treatment or plasma treatment;
A method for producing a waste ink absorber, wherein the lyophilic portion of one absorbent material is laminated so as to be in contact with another absorbent material. In the manufacturing method of the waste ink absorber according to claim 5,
Forming a recess for receiving the waste ink in a part of the side surface;
A method for producing a waste ink absorber, wherein the recess is subjected to lyophilic treatment by ozone treatment or plasma treatment.

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